Kon-Hemsby: My plan was to use lauhala, but I need to keep finances in check and that costs a bit more. What type of hardboard did you use? I'm finding most 4x8 sheets to cost about $25 and that will really balloon my costs. Also, it's a lot easier to maneuver the reed around pipes since it's flexible. That's not the case with hardwood, which would need to be fairly level. But I am open to the idea down the line.
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On 2014-07-01 09:55, liabungalo wrote:Kon-Hemsby: My plan was to use lauhala, but I need to keep finances in check and that costs a bit more. What type of hardboard did you use? I'm finding most 4x8 sheets to cost about $25 and that will really balloon my costs. Also, it's a lot easier to maneuver the reed around pipes since it's flexible. That's not the case with hardwood, which would need to be fairly level. But I am open to the idea down the line.

I just bought the cheapest hardboard I could find. Sorry I don't rember the cost, but then I only had about 10ft by 20ft to cover.
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I went a little crazy last night and pulled down the reed covering and mounted 2 stacked 2x3s to the studs on the ceiling to lower it by three inches, clearing all the smaller water pipes. I figure I can either staple the reed directly to the 2x3s or eventually put up hardboard.

Then my anal retentiveness kicked when I noticed that you can see the new wood and wires through the reeds. I went to Home Depot and bought Espresso-colored satin paint for like $8 a quart and started painting everything that wasn't brown on the ceiling. Turns out the color matches the studs perfectly.

I think I'll keep the reeds down until I get some fireproofing supplies in.

There is a thread on this board somewhere that promoted Tiki decor on a budget, it was very helpful to builders. I will try to find it...after all, who doesn't want to save a buck but still have a great lounge. Wish me luck...I'm going dark!!!
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Enjoying your progress pics so far! I'm looking to do the same with polystyrene insulation
and reframing my basement. I stripped the old ceiling back to the floor joists and am
contemplating how to finish it off as well. Take a look at Houzz.com for pics of flat black
painted floor joists, it's a cool option. Keep the updates coming ...

@littlegiles: The plan is to put shelves in and finish the inside of the bar too. So I will have plenty of storage. Still trying to figure out what to do with the top of the bar. Would love some distressed wood finish or something. I haven't decided what to do behind the bar. It's a tight fit and I don't want to make it tighter. Perhaps a painting to start out and then maybe some shelving, if I can find something narrow.

After talking about the project to my neighbor, he informed me that he had a ton of bamboo growing behind is garage. So I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday harvesting and shucking bamboo. Got about 60 8ft poles of varying diameter out of the job. Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with them.

So I have hit a slight snag. Due to the recent natural disasters in the Philippines, the amount of lauhala and other similar wall coverings being shipped to the US has shrunk to near non-existence or the price has skyrocketed astronomically.

The only thing readily available is off sizes that would lead to a lot of wasted material. A few weeks back, I noticed that places like Forever Bamboo had been listing lauhala as out of stock for a while. Oceanic Arts confirmed it last Friday and said it could be months, without a real timeline.

I could get a lot of 3'x50' and try to stretch my trim by 6-8 inches or just wait it out and paint the walls a brownish color.

Finished the top, bottom and sides of the Tiki shelf. Just need to buy an opaque window.

I lowered the ceiling in front of it by 3 inches to clear the pipes and I'm 90% done with the ceiling.

We've got 165 pounds of lauhala and bac bac wall covering in the garage ready for fireproofing. Spent the night putting primer on the walls in preparation for ten tons of contact cement. The end is nigh.